1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optoelectrical connector device and an optical plug socket. More specifically, this invention relates to an optoelectrical connector device and an optical plug socket which can be used in an optical network capable of communication in both ways by a single optical fiber between stations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To begin with, a conventional photoelectrical connector device will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
The conventional photoelectrical connector device B shown in FIG. 2 includes, for example, a first and a second optical terminal 10 and 12 connected to a loop-like optical transmission line, a first and a second light receiving means 14 and 16 for receiving an optical signal and converting it into an electrical signal and a first and a second light emitting means 20 and 22 for receiving an electrical signal from an information processing unit 18 and converting it into an optical signal.
The first optical terminal 10 is optically connected to the first light receiving means 14 by an optical fiber 24, and an optical signal received by the first optical terminal 10 is transmitted to the first light receiving means 14. The first optical terminal 10 is connected to the second light emitting means 22 by an optical fiber 26 and the signal processed by the information processing unit 18 is transmitted to the first optical terminal 10.
The second optical terminal 12 is optically connected to the second light receiving means 16 by an optical fiber 28, and an optical signal received by the second optical terminal 12 is transmitted to the second light receiving means 16. Furthermore, the second optical terminal 12 is connected to the first light emitting means 20 by an optical fiber 30, and the signal processed by the information processing unit 18 is sent to the second optical terminal 12.
The optoelectrical connector device B can thus feed the optical signal transmitted to the first optical terminal 10 into the information processing unit 18, process it, transmit the processed signal to the second optical terminal 12, feed the optical signal sent to the second optical terminal 12 to the information processing unit 18, process it and transmit the processed optical signal to the first optical terminal 10.
Although the conventional optoelectrical connector device B can perform the desired function, it still has the following problems to be solved.
Generally, after an optical network comprised of a plurality of information processing units is built, it is frequently necessary to incorporate a new information processing unit in the optical network.
When a new information processing unit is desired to be incorporated in an optical network built from a plurality of information processing units by using the above-described optoelectrical connector device B, it is necessary, for example, to separate one information processing unit from the optical network and change the optical connecting relationship, or to break an optical transmission line in the optical network and set up the new information processing unit between the broken ends of the transmission line.
However, a change of an established optical connection frequently requires movement of the information processing units. This operation is troublesome and likely to cause an error in the optical connection.